refridgerator grow box!! help please!!!!pic

jwhite9552

jwhite9552

Active Member
hey everyone .. Today my best friends grampa was throwing out a fully working refrigerator.. I need some ideas on how to convert into a grow box!!!i like growing with cfl's.So if any good ideas for cfl i want to know!!

refrigerator specs=top half 27.5"w-19.5"h-19"d
bottom half=28.5"w-38"h-24"d

 
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raeman1990

Well-Known Member
ha, fridge grows are insanely hard, i mean really hard really really hard

i tried but the fridges are designed to be thermo tight so all the heat from the lights gets trapped inside, and over heats very quickly even with ventilation
 
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1stickybud

Active Member
if you use it when the fridge is running everything inside will die like raeman1990 said, you need to smash everything on the inside out so its a steel case, vent it in the bottom and the top with fans and exsausts, and still its very hard to get a good grow.ive done it once before and it was hard. fridges are best for beer not buds
 
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MonkeeMan

Well-Known Member
ok i tried this exact same thing at one point, but gave up because without the proper machines to cut metal, and a lot of prep work

its very tough
 
skippy pb

skippy pb

Well-Known Member
take the wiring out of the fridge part so like the freezer still works but the fridge part doesn't.
take out all those shelves and shit in the fridge.

i mean this is just a guess its coming from someone whos just starting his first grow, i mean that was probably point less. I mean i high as fuck im sorry that probably didn't help at all hahahaahaha
 
voidsilvia

voidsilvia

Active Member
I have an grow box similar to yours in the process of being built, however mine in a mini fridge about 3ft high. Anyways Im using CFL lights too and its pretty cool that you plan on using them too. I have a 200 watt screw in CFL (complete 5000 Kelvin spectrum, so can be used throughout the entire growing phase, from vegitation to flowering) suspended from the top of the fridge, along with a metal reflector. For the fridge inside I striped out all the plastic and put poly reflective film. For the backside of the fridge I cut out a hole on the lower side of the back for a 4in intake fan with a modest filter at the front. At the top backside of the fridge drilled another hole for another 4in outlet fan. Overall the project is coming along great and looking forward to putting this into use. Hope your fridge grow room works out well too.
 
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chubbybuddy

Member
was thinking bout building one of these grow boxes from scratch...all this with the defrost and thermal meltdowns are driving me crazy....i dont think that that grow grow ufo led lights put out any heat...but i could be wrong..somebody set me straight
 
Hydrochronics

Hydrochronics

Member
it does create enough to up the temp by more then a degree or two. BUT..... Honestly, just like the first guy said it is way to much work for not enough yeild. and if you say it is for the concealment of it, you shouldnt be growing somewhere that you are concerned about someone descovering and taking/telling on you. My advice would be to not waste the time/energy/money/talent and save up and get a better place or a grow tent of some kind. Good luck though bro. Keep on growing!
 
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boxdoctor

Member
If you have a working refrigerator, yes you can convert it into a grow box, and yes you can use the cooling system to act as an air conditioner for your plants. I have done this conversion in different types of refrigerators and all worked well. As a matter of fact, 2 years ago I converted a very similar fridge you have shown on the first picture, which is a GE brand refrigerator, top freezer, bottom fridge.

Obviously this is not a simple project, you'll need to wire the compressor with a new thermostat to control the temperature in the fridge, and you'll also need to install ventilation ducts to exhaust the heat from the lights, without exhausting the cold air from inside the box. Attached are images of a prototype I put together 2 years ago (GE refrigerator conversion). Notice how the heat of the 300 Watt LED Light is exhausted through a separate section in the roof. The similar could be done with a Cool Tube using HPS or MH. All you need is 2 ventilation ducts to exhaust the heat. One duct brings the outside air into the tube, and the other brings the heat out. You must be very careful not to drill your ducts through a refrigerant gas line. The attached refrigerant drawing is for your GE Refrigerator, it will help you locate and avoid the gas lines.

I have a lot of experience with these type of conversions, and could sit here and write pages and pages about it. If you plan to do something similar and need help, just ask me your questions and I'll reply.
 

Attachments

gweddo6868

gweddo6868

Well-Known Member
Just build a box bro in need to reinvent the wheel but seriously what's up with the sandwich in the drawer u going to eat it
 
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Bryan C

New Member
boxdoctor said:
If you have a working refrigerator, yes you can convert it into a grow box, and yes you can use the cooling system to act as an air conditioner for your plants. I have done this conversion in different types of refrigerators and all worked well. As a matter of fact, 2 years ago I converted a very similar fridge you have shown on the first picture, which is a GE brand refrigerator, top freezer, bottom fridge.

Obviously this is not a simple project, you'll need to wire the compressor with a new thermostat to control the temperature in the fridge, and you'll also need to install ventilation ducts to exhaust the heat from the lights, without exhausting the cold air from inside the box. Attached are images of a prototype I put together 2 years ago (GE refrigerator conversion). Notice how the heat of the 300 Watt LED Light is exhausted through a separate section in the roof. The similar could be done with a Cool Tube using HPS or MH. All you need is 2 ventilation ducts to exhaust the heat. One duct brings the outside air into the tube, and the other brings the heat out. You must be very careful not to drill your ducts through a refrigerant gas line. The attached refrigerant drawing is for your GE Refrigerator, it will help you locate and avoid the gas lines.

I have a lot of experience with these type of conversions, and could sit here and write pages and pages about it. If you plan to do something similar and need help, just ask me your questions and I'll reply.
Click to expand...

Your set up looks great ! I have some burning questions because this looks really exciting i might switch some things up :)
Are the fans behind your set up exhausting the cold air out of your box? (your plants grow space)
Do you need to exhaust the heat out when you already have the working refrigerator cooling system to keep the space cool?
 
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boxdoctor

Member
The fans behind the unit (near the floor) are to cool off the condenser coils and compressor. Keep in mind, a colder condenser coil means a colder evaporator coil.

As for the heat generated by the led light, I highly recommend to exaust that heat outside the box. If you were to simply place the light inside the box, your compressor would work too much, it would reduce its lifetime, and raise your light bill.
 
Merlowe111

Merlowe111

Well-Known Member
boxdoctor said:
If you have a working refrigerator, yes you can convert it into a grow box, and yes you can use the cooling system to act as an air conditioner for your plants. I have done this conversion in different types of refrigerators and all worked well. As a matter of fact, 2 years ago I converted a very similar fridge you have shown on the first picture, which is a GE brand refrigerator, top freezer, bottom fridge.

Obviously this is not a simple project, you'll need to wire the compressor with a new thermostat to control the temperature in the fridge, and you'll also need to install ventilation ducts to exhaust the heat from the lights, without exhausting the cold air from inside the box. Attached are images of a prototype I put together 2 years ago (GE refrigerator conversion). Notice how the heat of the 300 Watt LED Light is exhausted through a separate section in the roof. The similar could be done with a Cool Tube using HPS or MH. All you need is 2 ventilation ducts to exhaust the heat. One duct brings the outside air into the tube, and the other brings the heat out. You must be very careful not to drill your ducts through a refrigerant gas line. The attached refrigerant drawing is for your GE Refrigerator, it will help you locate and avoid the gas lines.

I have a lot of experience with these type of conversions, and could sit here and write pages and pages about it. If you plan to do something similar and need help, just ask me your questions and I'll reply.
Click to expand...
Hello! I know it's been a long time since this was posted, but I've been trying to build something exactly like this for my wife and I. Hopefully this message finds you, I would really appreciate having some insight from someone who has actually done what I'm trying to do. All the other boxes dont include using the fridge for climate control.. thank you!
 
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